Fiennes was excellent, but even better was Higins' Iocaste. A very good production, ideally situated in the Olivier theatre - Manos
07 Dec 08
I saw a new concept of the tragedy. Oedipus - in this interpretation he wasn't only the innocent boy punished by the unjust Gods but also for his guilts. He himself was a tyrant (Oidipos Tyrannos),sometimes demagogue, a hard ruler who doesn't tolerate contradictions who easily brings mortal verdict when he feels himself hurted. As he learns the truth who he really is and what he has done the trap closes step by step around him. His ups and downs are heartbreaking and this terrible howl like a whimpering animal is soul-stirring. The knowledge of his own guilt is quite a new concept and requires the modern suits and this style of interpretation which is raw and merciless. Ralph Fiennes is a great actor and he gives a very interesting performance with deep emotions. I saw it twice and he played two different Oedipus. I don't know who is Rigsby or Leonard Rossiter , but the scene where he's crawling on the earth before Creon begging for her daughters was something I'll never forget. The whole staff was wonderful, I specially liked Alan Howard's Clare Higgins' works and the Chorus was extraordinary. - zsuzsanna
01 Dec 08
I saw a new concept of the tragedy. Oedipus - in this interpretation he wasn't only the innocent boy punished by the unjust Gods but also for his guilts. He himself was a tyrant (Oidipos Tyrannos),sometimes demagogue, a hard ruler who doesn't tolerate contradictions who easily brings mortal verdict when he feels himself hurted. As he learns the truth who he really is and what he has done the trap closes step by step around him. His ups and downs are heartbreaking and this terrible howl like a whimpering animal is soul-stirring. The knowledge of his own guilt is quite a new concept and requires the modern suits and this style of interpretation which is raw and merciless. Ralph Fiennes is a great actor and he gives a very interesting performance with deep emotions. I saw it twice and he played two different Oedipus. I don't know who is Rigsby or Leonard Rossiter , but the scene where he's crawling on the earth before Creon begging for her daughters was something I'll never forget. The whole staff was wonderful, I specially liked Alan Howard's Clare Higgins' works and the Chorus was extraordinary. - zsuzsanna
01 Dec 08
I saw a new concept of the tragedy. Oedipus - in this interpretation he wasn't only the innocent boy punished by the unjust Gods but also for his guilts. He himself was a tyrant (Oidipos Tyrannos),sometimes demagogue, a hard ruler who doesn't tolerate contradictions who easily brings mortal verdict when he feels himself hurted. As he learns the truth who he really is and what he has done the trap closes step by step around him. His ups and downs are heartbreaking and this terrible howl like a whimpering animal is soul-stirring. The knowledge of his own guilt is quite a new concept and requires the modern suits and this style of interpretation which is raw and merciless. Ralph Fiennes is a great actor and he gives a very interesting performance with deep emotions. I saw it twice and he played two different Oedipus. I don't know who is Rigsby or Leonard Rossiter , but the scene where he's crawling on the earth before Creon begging for her daughters was something I'll never forget. The whole staff was wonderful, I specially liked Alan Howard's Clare Higgins' works and the Chorus was extraordinary. - zsuzsanna
01 Dec 08
I thought it was only me who kept seeing Ralph Fiennes as Rigsby! Unfortunately this aspect of his performance has become a real distraction of late. He can still at times hold the stage and Greek tragedy is certainly a fitting medium for his somewhat bizzare style of acting. Clare Higgins on the other hand was absolutely magnificent as Jocasta and, supported by a stella cast, Jonathon Kent directs this Frank McGuinness version with verve. I thought the staging was terrific too and literally keeps the action moving along. Great to see the NT back on form. - rds
13 Nov 08
Jonathan Kent's production takes a while to warm up, not helped by an underwhelming performance from Ralph Fiennes who bizarrely seems to be attempting an impersonation of Leonard Rossiter. It became possible to be distracted by random questions: as the stage slowly revolved how come the table and chairs didn't move?; who on earth thought Clare Higgins was old enough to pass as Fiennes' mother?; how did Oedipus get a complex named after him if he had no idea Jocasta was his mother? In fact it was the arrival of Dame Higgins (soon surely) that the play really took off. Her performance radiated power and a growing sense of dread as the awful truth became clear. One wordless shudder of self-disgust and terror was worth the ticket price alone. Following Jocasta's death and his self-mutilation Fiennes came into his own as the play generated genuine horror, helped by excellent supporting players and a great chorus. A slow burner but ultimately this is a fine version of a shocking classic. - David Baxter
05 Nov 08
This is my favourite play of all time and I have to admit that I've seen it done a lot better than this, it's a perfectly adequate production but it's just missing a spark that would bring the whole thing to the boil. Fiennes' performance is strangely muted and the scream moment is a crushing disappointment. Thanfully there are some sterling backups to the lacklustre central performance, with Malcolm Storry putting in good work as Basil Exposition. Maybe it's the fault of the new translation but I just wasn't as enraptured with this production as I have been with other stagings of Oedipus. - QuincyMD
28 Oct 08
Like the last two comments I feel that this is really good in parts but not a five star production, I liked a lot of elements but am less sure about Ralph Fiennes performance nor was I keen on the chorus as I found their singing distracting. - CAA
27 Oct 08
At last I agree with Gareth James, below.What on earth was Ralph Fiennes up to? Even with all the nonsense it was a pretty good showing, but what would Kenny or Kev,Ken S. or Chiwetel or Paterson have made of it? The rest of the cast were sensational and the Chorus amazing.3.5 seems fair. - joesmith
24 Oct 08
It would be 3.5 if it was allowed! I love Greek tragedies and I normally leave them emotionally drained but thrilled. The problem with Oedipus is that, before it even starts, we all know what he doesn't know yet and it takes an hour before he's caught up! There has to be something about this hour that holds you. Here we have a superb chorus (with great music by Jonathan Dove), an elegant set with a pointless slow revolve and a few terrific performances to admire. Ralph Fiennes bizzare interpretation is all over the place, moving from Rigsby to camp to mannered, and conspires to make you lose interest. When it turns, it's good, but by then I'd almost given up. Clare Higgins shines as ever and Alan Howard is very good, but these are small parts in a play where the title character dominates; here, he dominates but doen't captivate so the play ultimately fails. - Gareth James
24 Oct 08
Great theatre and great performances this is the National Theatre at its best - Chris
12 Oct 08
Excellent production and a must see this Autumn at the National. You will not be dissapointed by the superb acting and thankfully there is no interval to stop the story building to it's terrible climax. A little unsure about the singing though! - ILS
